Partial mash question

I'm trying to understand the partial mash process. I *think* that it has to do with more grains. I looked at the "Easy Partial Mash" sticky to get an idea. So, basically to do this process, would I need another big pot, more grains, and then steep the way that I normally would with an extract? After mashing, would you then transfer those grains to another pot that has sparge water and that then becomes your mash?

I'm looking to do a Chocolate Cherry Porter for Christmas, and I think I'm going to go partial mash, but I'm not sure that I understand the difference between that process and an extract.

Thanks!

Get a grain bag and you can do it all in one pot.

Yes, the main difference between extract & steeping vs. extract & mini-mashing is that a mini-mash will contain different grains (specialty grains AND base grains (diastatic power if you want to be a wizard)) and you need to be pickier about your mash temps in a mini-mash. When steeping they give you a pretty wide range of temps to steep at but when mini-mashing you really need to keep it around a certain mash temp.

In the stickied method, when you pull the bag and put it in the other pot, you are sparging, or rinsing more sugars from the grains. This water PLUS your initial pot's water will both be resulting water from the mash and both will need to go in the boil kettle.

Or as Wingfan alludes to above, you can skip the sparge step and treat it like a BIAB brew.

This method opens up alot of options so dont get too caught up in whats right and whats wrong, theres alot of ways to go about it.

kenpotf said:

I'm trying to understand the partial mash process. I *think* that it has to do with more grains.

Click to expand...

Actually, it has more to do the the type of grains and the process than the amount. You could mash an ounce of grains if you wanted to. It wouldn't do you much good, but you could do it.

You need enough grain with diastatic power (meaning they have the enzymes require to mash grains) mixed with the proper amount of water at the proper temperature and you have a mash. This is opposed to steeping which you can do with any grains and you don't have to be as precise about volumes or temps of water.

Read DeathBrewer's sticky on easy stovetop pm (BIAB). It answers all your questions and makes the process really easy.